Tuesday, December 30, 2008

With 2009 only a few days away, you may be getting that new calendar organized - meetings, appointments, birthdays and, of course, comic/cartoon conventions!

Doug, who has had more than 400 full-page color cartoons published in Playboy since 1964, has been invited to participate in Seattle's 7th Annual Emerald City ComiCon, scheduled Saturday (10 a.m. to 6 p.m.) and Sunday (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.), April 4 and 5, 2009, at the Washington State Convention Center.

In addition to exhibiting during the 2-day convention, Doug will host a 50-minute panel presentation and also donate original art to the art book to benefit the Seattle Children's Hospital. The theme for the 2009 art book is "Monsters and Dames." The Sneyd original published in the art book will also be donated to the convention's original art auction - check out the Emerald City ComiCon website for information on the art book and auction.

So, be sure to put April 4-5, 2009, on your calendar and stop by Doug's booth or attend his 50-minute panel presentation and maybe put in a bid for original Sneyd artwork at the charity auction!

Sunday, December 28, 2008

Now that we're settled into my condo in Orange Beach for 5 months, Doug is beginning to get back to his drawing board, and while working, he frequently listens to audiobooks.

We've just started listening to The House of Mondavi: The Rise and Fall of an American Wine Dynasty by Julia Flynn Siler and Sin in the Second City by Karen Abbott.

While making the 1,300-mile drive to the Gulf Coast, we listened to The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama and Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer by James L. Swanson. We highly recommend both.

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Monday, December 22, 2008

'Twas the night before Christmas . . . at Toronto's new City Hall, where Santa paused to enjoy a "quiet moment."

In addition to celebrating holiday spirit and traditions, Doug chronicled the history of a growing city and that of Canada's largest newspaper in the 11 holiday greeting cards he rendered for the Toronto Star in the 1960s and 1970s."The festive season at Ontario Place."

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Over an 11-year period, the Toronto Star hired Doug to render holiday cards, for mailing to corporate and other clients, and thus capture the the essence of Christmas traditions in Toronto.

"The day before Christmas 1998, at Toronto's charming, old St. Lawrence Market.""The scene changes, but not the festive gaiety that Christmas brings - Toronto's Grendier Pond on the day before Christmas, 45 years ago.""The scene changes, but not the Christmas spirit - Toronto's Yonge Street on Christmas Eve nearly 50 years ago."

This was the first of the 11 holiday cards rendered by Doug."Christmas snowshoe hikers on Toronto Island take a rest and admire the city skyline and reflections."

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Doug's attention to detail is immediately evident in his work - whether full-page color cartoons for Playboy, illustrations for textbooks, political caricatures in his single-panel Doug Sneyd cartoons or annual Christmas cards for the Toronto Star.

"Christmas Eve, 1892, at The Toronto Star's birthplace, 83 Yonge Street. The first yuletide edition of The Star - then The Evening Star - comes off the press." "In the early 1900's, the Toronto waterfront at the foot of Yonge Street, was a place for winter fun. Skaters and ice-boaters gathered in front of the ice-bound ferry boats, where Christmas trees marked the limits of safe ice and lent an extra touch of gaiety to the scene.

This year, 1969, the ever-changing waterfront enters another stage in its development with the construction start of a new 25-story Toronto Star office tower and plant at One Yonge Street."

Doug's 11 annual Christmas cards from the 1960s and 1970s celebrated the history of Toronto along with Canada's largest newspaper - the Toronto Star.

"Since 1892 The Star has served its readers from five different homes. This year, the presses are rolling at our new home at One Yonge Street. Behind the name plate at our new front entrance is a time capsule - to be opened at Christmas 2071."

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

For 11 years in the 1960s-1970s, the Toronto Star, Canada's largest newspaper, commissioned Doug to paint the company's annual holiday cards, sending "Season's Greetings" to corporate and other clients.

"Christmas 1906 - The Toronto Daily Star Santa Claus Fund sleigh passes St. Lawrence Hall on its way to make the Fund's first distribution of gifts to the city's underprivileged children."Just as the Water Tower is a symbol of Chicago's history; Casa Loma is a symbol of early Toronto. Doug rendered the stately elegance of this historic building for one of 11 Christmas cards painted for the Toronto Star.

"Christmastime at Toronto's Casa Loma in the 'Twenties.""The Ontario Legislative Building at Queen's Park has been a Toronto landmark since 1892."

Friday, December 12, 2008

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Doug developed his self-syndicated satirical strip, titled SCOOPS, in the 1970s. Unlike other strips with political orientation, such as Doonesbury, SCOOPS was not tied to a central character, story line or location. One day Doug focused on White House politics, the next day on celebrities.

Monday, December 8, 2008

During his Presidency (1969-1974), Richard Nixon succeeded in ending American fighting in Viet Nam and improving relations with the U.S.S.R. and China, but the Watergate scandal led to his resignation.Gerald Ford (1974-1977) took the oath of office on August 9, 1974, declaring, " I assume the Presidency under extraordinary circumstances . . . This is an hour of history that troubles our minds and hurts our hearts." He was the first Vice-President chosen under terms of the Twenty-first Amendment and, in the aftermath of the Watergate scandal, was succeeding the first President ever to resign.Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter waged a 2-year campaign to represent the Democratic Party as President, and at the party's convention in 1976, he was nominated on the first ballot. However, the seizure as hostages of the U.S. embassy in Iran dominated the news during the last 14 months of his administration (1977-81). This, coupled with inflation, contributed to his defeat in 1980. Iran finally released the 52 Americans the same day Carter left office.Prior to serving as the 40th. President of the U.S. from 1981-1989, Ronald Reagan appeared in 53 Hollywood films and served as the president of the Screen Actors' Guild and Governor of California.In 1980 George H.W. Bush campaigned for the Republican nomination for President. He lost but was chosen as a running mate by Ronald Reagan. After 8 years as Vice-President in the Reagan White House, Bush extended his political career serving as the 41st. President from 1989-1993.

Saturday, December 6, 2008

The style and wit found in Doug's full-page cartoons appearing in Playboy since 1964 helped You: the Road Warrior give readers "humorous relief" on one of North America's greatest obsessions . . . driving.

Copy by Dan Hales, Gags by Rex May and Artwork by Doug Sneyd - a winning combination for readers!

UPCOMING EVENTS

Bio

Doug has been a cartoonist for Playboy magazine since 1964.
For nearly 20 years, starting in the mid-60's, his "Doug Sneyd" and "Scoops" news cartoons appeared daily in newspapers across North America. Sneyd's talent has also led him into cinema: in 1993, he wrote, produced and directed "Black-eyed Susan," an educational movie-drama about spousal abuse, for the Ontario government. He was a founding member of the Canadian Society of Book Illustrators and has been a member of the National Cartoonists' Society and the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists. Thirty of his full-page color Playboy cartoons are among the 235 Sneyd works included in the National Archives of Canada in Ottawa.
Sneyd was born in Guelph, Ontario, Canada, but spent much of his professional career in Toronto. In 1969 he moved his family north to Orillia made famous as the mythical "Mariposa" by humorist Stephen Leacock. He works on the third floor of his home-studio overlooking beautiful Lake Couchiching and spends his winters on the Gulf Coast in Orange Beach, Alabama.